Mail Surveys

Abstract

Mail surveys are much less costly to conduct than telephone surveys or in‐person surveys and therefore are an attractive method of data collection for researchers. However, in general, mailed surveys have suffered from low response rates which limits their applicability. Extensive research conducted over the past few decades has documented a variety of procedural elements, which if followed, can overcome low response rates. In addition to postage‐paid return envelopes, strong respondent letters, and clear promises of respondent confidentiality or anonymity, the two most important procedures to incorporate in the study design are using as many as three reminders and including financial incentives for participation. Additional elements such as personalization, prenotification, modest length, and utilization of soft deadlines also have been shown to increase response rates slightly. By following these procedures, data collected through mail surveys can be as valid as data collected through telephone or in‐person methods.